North Island 2025

dougman1

Part of the furniture
Had a run today from New Plymouth to Taumarunui via the lesser driven roads.

Moki Rd Tunnel
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Kiwi Rd takes one to Ohura. The town that never wakes.
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Kiwi Rd Tunnel

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Main highway through the bush. Careful, there may be a logging truck.
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It opens up into sheep country from time to time.
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About 3 hrs from leaving New Plymouth. Ohura rolled into view.
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The only sign of life in Ohura at 11.30 am. An open door…no people. Deserted!

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Tourists on the Stratford to Taumarunui line. Golf carts, converted into trains. Clever idea Eh!
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Obligatory road works, the farmer has stopped for a chat with his mate while we were held for 15 mins.
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Then into main street Taumarunui.

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I had some matters to attend at the local cemetery. A bit of a clean up of Great Grandfathers plot.

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Then into digs for the night..

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And that was todays effort.

Heading to Auckland tomorrow.

91 has just reached 2.90 per ltr It’s a shock to fill up the KLR at $45 for 15 ltr

Still, it’ll never be cheaper!

Cheers Doug
 

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Thanks for that, enjoyed riding along on that Taranaki Tunnels run.
One of the best and most picturesque riding areas of the North Island for sure.

Had no idea that the 'naki rail-line was still intact to a point where it could be used for lightweight traffic like those golf-cart "trains".

If it wouldn't be so bloody expensive, I'd make that a major point of another North Island bash :)


Great to see they made something from it though.... unlike us Aussies just ripping up everything, flogging the rails as scrap metal and a few cents for the sleepers from some garden supply wholesaler.

You...and a KLR?
Getting kinky in your old days eh :bs
 
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Zuckerbaron

Tour Pro
Moki Rd Tunnel
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Amazing tunnels! :)
I have seen one of these some days ago in a YT video. You have already two in one tour so there is probably more of them. :unsure:
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Amazing tunnels! :)
I have seen one of these some days ago in a YT video. You have already two in one tour so there is probably more of them. :unsure:


There is a good dozen of them, some of them fairly out of the way, some of them along a historic, planned-but-never-finished railway terrace, some in daily use, others tucked away along some dead-end dirt-tracks.
Add some unique, historic, timber suspension bridges to cobble up a 3-4-day gravel/ dirt/ waterfalls/etc etc loop of the Taranaki before adding Mt. Egmont and various other stuff...and there's a week worth of incredible scenery and riding just in that area.
Have done some/ half? of it on various trips in the past, but there's just so much!
There's also the "Bridge-to-Somewhere"....and...the "Bridge-to-Nowhere" in that area, as well as the infamous Old Whangamamona Rd.

Ready for 2025? :bs


Aotuhia Station Track.... totally un-maintained

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dougman1

Part of the furniture
At the end of the Forgotten Highway is Taumarunui, and while the main street is semi busy, the back streets are a different story.20250123_064901_Original.jpeg

Some delightful finds off the main road.
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Former home to the Daily News. Now an empty shell, except for the Butchers Shop!
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The beer is cold, worth a visit if it’s hot. And if it’s not hot, there’s a huge fire box to heat the place.


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The Returned Services Association, (RSA) does an acceptable feed. Cheaper drinks too.
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The Carving work is something else. A Maori meeting house.
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$150 is the new $100 in NZ. Add fuel at close to $3 per ltr, some food and drink. Well you can work it out to where your $250 + per day disappears to.

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And the Mighty KLR. Really doesn’t inspire me much, (Read shitbox) but it’s reliable and starts nearly every time.
It’s a free loaner, so it was just the thing for a bit of back road exploring.
I do love the back country in the North Island. It’s rugged and very steep in places. Very hardy people that farm these areas.
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Williamson

Part of the furniture
The Returned Services Association, (RSA) does an acceptable feed. Cheaper drinks too.
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Helen and I had a feed at the RSA back in 2019, I remember it was pretty good too! Stayed in a nearby motel, a short walk in the pi55ing rain to the RSA, got told off 'cause I didn't remove my hat quick enough, had to buy the bar beer, fortunately there was only two old diggers sitting at the bar.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Sad to see the place as run down as that....it was quite a bustling little town even 10 years ago.
As for the KLR...true, nothing flash.
But a good plodder.
 
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